


start of time

by cherryraindrops



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Awkwardness, Battle Buddies AU, M/M, Major Character Injury, nothing too bad though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 11:09:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15929210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryraindrops/pseuds/cherryraindrops
Summary: Ryan has a problem with being late for things. Maybe he just needed someone to be on time for.Or, 5 times Ryan was late and the 1 time he is just in time.





	start of time

It’s his first day back on the job and Ryan is late.

He would like to blame his healing bullet wound, but he knew the director wouldn’t buy it after a six-month recovery. While the wound did still cause him quite the annoyance, he couldn’t really tie together an excuse as to why a completely healed wound made him nearly an hour late to an early morning debriefing.

He ignores the looks he receives as he enters the building of Rooster Corp, sneaking into the conference room and hopefully blending in enough with the rest of the agents that Pattillo won’t notice his tardiness. No one in the room pays him any mind, all too focused on Pattillo and the folders in their hands. Ryan releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Once the meeting is adjourned, Ryan feels a hand on his shoulder. “Nice of you to show up, Haywood.”

Fuck, of _course_ Agent Free saw him come in. He nearly forgot how sneaky the bastard was. The Brit was a newer recruit, a large pain in Ryan’s ass, but overall a damn good asset for the Rooster Corp. His hacking skills rivaled Agent Sarola’s, and his work in the field left him in high demand. He was rising rather quickly in the ranks, close enough to rival Ryan in terms of kills. If he wasn’t so damn likeable, Ryan would hate him.

“Don’t know what you are talking about,” Ryan acts casual, meeting Pattillo’s glance and offering a wave. “I have things to discuss with Pattillo, if you excuse me.” He pushes past Free to head towards the front of the room, where Pattillo offers him a casual grin.

“Just the man I wanted to speak with,” Pattillo greets, handing a folder over to Ryan before taking a seat in one of the available chairs in the room. Ryan eyes the folder curiously, taking a seat across from Pattillo and opening the folder. He can’t help but groan the minute he notices exactly what Pattillo wants to discuss.

“Just until you can prove that you are capable of going out on your own again,” Pattillo explains, leaning forward to tap the name across the page. “Dooley has tested extremely well in the field, has bested Free and Jones countless times over the past six months you’ve been absent. He’s the one we’ve been sending out in your place, and he’s proven his worth in doing so. However, we feel it would be best if the two of you work together until you are cleared to go solo. Dooley is the only agent I trust to bring you back into the big leagues.”

Ryan has never had an issue with working with a partner in the past. There were some missions where it was a necessity, and he prided himself in being a team player. The only issue he really had with this partner was the fact that he has never even _met_ this Jeremy Dooley. Hell, even as he was stuck doing paperwork during his recovery the name never came up. That was a definite red flag; if he was to accompany this Dooley in the field, how was he supposed to trust him not to screw him over?

“I can handle going solo again,” Ryan tries, though he knows his argument falls on deaf ears. “I don’t need some unknown going out into the field with me when he doesn’t even know the first thing about my style out there. How am I supposed to trust he won’t get me another hole in my body?”

Pattillo sighs. “I trust him, as does Ramsay. I wouldn’t just assign you someone that I didn’t think was incapable of keeping up with you.” He gets up from his seat, cracking his back in the process before offering Ryan a parting grin. “The least you could do is give him a chance, especially since you were late and all.”

Ryan grumbles as Pattillo leaves the room, left with a folder filled with Dooley’s rankings and field results. Maybe Pattillo was right in trusting this Dooley guy, maybe there was a chance that he was an excellent match for Ryan. That didn’t mean Ryan was eager to find out so soon.

*

He meets Dooley later that day in the shooting range, and the first words to come out of his mouth are, “You are shorter than I imagined.”

Dooley raises an eyebrow at his words, stopping mid action as he turns to face Ryan. The photo in the folder didn’t really do Dooley justice in terms of what to expect for sure, Ryan noted. Hell, the photo showed Dooley with short brown hair, not the shiny bald head he seemed to be sporting now. (Though, if you asked Ryan, it suited him better) “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not really,” Ryan tells him, reaching for his own pair of earmuffs and placing them around his neck. “Just an observation, really. It probably helps with stealth, does it not?” He knows he’s being a shit, and maybe he does have a misguided hope Dooley will be sick of him and leave Ryan to his own devices.

That was Ryan’s first mistake, thinking Jeremy Dooley wasn’t made of harder stuff. The grin on Dooley’s face was unexpected, as well as the chuckle that followed. “I’m certainly not complaining,” Dooley responds, handing Ryan a pair of protective lenses before turning towards the armory. “Now, show me that you are more than just talk, Haywood.”

Ryan smiles, genuinely, before reaching for a weapon and turning towards the targets. “You’re on, Dooley.”

**

It’s their first mission and Ryan is late.

He’s not necessarily late for the mission, exactly, but he’s certainly running late for the extraction. Things had gone perfectly, hell, _better._ Pattillo hadn’t been lying when he told Ryan that Jeremy was the perfect partner for him in the field, and while Ryan really hated to admit it, he was better with Jeremy by his side. Things had gone off without a hitch, and it was beginning to look like a job well done.

That was, until Jeremy had shoved Ryan away from a nearby blast, sending both soaring. While Ryan received minimal damage, some bruises and scrapes, it was Jeremy that was worse for wear. The blast managed to tear into his back, and while Jeremy kept insisting that he was perfectly fine, Ryan knew better. The man could hardly walk, and Ryan was even more concerned that Jeremy might be in worse pain if he moves even more.

“This is Agent Haywood,” he speaks into the comms, calming himself to sound less panicked. “My partner is down, we need to move the extraction point to our current position. Dooley is immobile.” He takes Jeremy’s hand in his, keeping his presence known as Jeremy’s eyes flicker. “Damn it, Dooley you better keep those eyes open.”

“It’s going to be a minute before we can get to you,” is not the response he wanted, and it makes him tighten his grip on Jeremy’s hand. “There is a lot of action in the skies right now because of you guys, the earliest we can get to you is- “

Ryan doesn’t bother to wait for the excuse they offered, instead getting up from his spot and looking back towards the building they escaped, watching as the flames continued to curl around the exterior and turn the place into rubble and ash. He can see the guards on the ground, already dead from the bullet wounds left by Ryan on his way out of the building. Vehicles are overturned and destroyed, but one does manage to catch Ryan’s eye.

Careful of Jeremy’s wounds, Ryan pulls his partner up and carries him towards the last remaining vehicle, keeping close watch of Jeremy’s facial expressions to make sure his partner was still there, that he was going to make it.

“Haywood and Dooley are on their way to the extraction point,” he says into the comms, keeping a hand wrapped in Jeremy’s as he starts the jeep up, tearing down the road as fast as he could. “We need a medic the minute we get there.”

Jeremy mumbles something under his breath, his grip on Ryan’s hand slackening. Ryan’s heart skips at the sudden movement, making him turn to look at his partner. Blood creeps at the corners of Jeremy’s mouth, making Ryan press down harder on the gas petal. He can see their helicopter in the distance, ready for the evac as he quickly navigates the remainder of the area.

The minute they get to the helicopter there is someone pulling Jeremy onto a stretcher, and it’s only then that Ryan realizes just how close they really got to losing him, to Ryan becoming a solo agent once again. It’s what he wanted to begin with, to not have a partner tie him down and eventually turn their back on him. Now, seeing Jeremy clinging to life on a stretcher with shrapnel embedded in his skin, the last thing Ryan wants is to lose him.

He takes Jeremy’s hand once more as they lift into the sky, the medics quick at work, and says, “Don’t leave me.”

*

Someone is flicking his nose, albeit a bit weakly. Ryan scrunches his face up as he attempts to swat the hand away, desperate for a few more minutes of sleep, but he stops when he hears the familiar chuckle rumble the bed. Lifting his head up, he takes in the familiar surroundings of the med bay back at Rooster Corp, Jeremy looking at him with an amused grin and a hand hovering in front of Ryan’s face.

“You’ve been out for some time,” Jeremy comments, reaching for the remote at his bedside to adjust the bed. “Doctors said you came in sometime last night, and I was still out. Did you know you drool in your sleep?”

Ryan huffs, lifting his head up from the side of Jeremy’s bed and cringing as he takes in the small puddle of drool from where his head previously way. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, scowling as Jeremy chuckles once more. “What time is it? I was hoping I’d be awake before you.”

“Around three, I think,” Jeremy tells him, hissing as he adjusts his position on the bed. “Fuck, these beds are really uncomfortable.”

“You save my life,” Ryan says, which merely earns a shrug from his partner. “My last partner nearly ditched me when we were in a similar situation. You threw me out of the way, and it got you here.”

Jeremy doesn’t seem to fazed by Ryan’s revelation, which is surprising to say the least. “I can’t abandon my Battle Buddy when the going gets tough. You would have done the same for me.” He pauses. “At least, I hope you would. That’s what being partners is about, isn’t it?”

Maybe there was a time before that Ryan wouldn’t have done that. His last partner certainly wasn’t the kind to do such a thing, and Ryan certainly wouldn’t have done that for them. Jeremy, however, was not them. Jeremy was tough, brave, selfless. If there was a bullet soaring towards him, Ryan found himself rather surprised to discover that he would jump in front of it if it meant someone like Jeremy got to live another day.

With a friendly grin, he takes Jeremy’s hand and says, “Battle Buddies, huh?”

The look on Jeremy’s face makes Ryan realize that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a partner out there.

*

It’s the first time Ryan has been on a date in a while, and he’s late.

He had never been great at keeping track of time anymore, at maybe taking a nap after his recent mission with Jeremy hadn’t been the greatest of ideas. Now he was rushing to get ready, skipping a shower altogether and throwing on the nicest clothes he can find on such short notice. He knows he should put in some better effort for getting back into the dating scene, but not with ten minutes to spare.

He could only hope Agent Joss wouldn’t be to upset if he left her there for a few minutes. They had a reservation, he promised he would be on time.

He’s rushing out of his apartment when he nearly crashes into Jeremy, who nearly takes a tumble onto the hardwood floor of the apartment hallway. “Whoa, must have caught you a bad time?” He says, steadying himself by placing a hand against the wall.

“Little bit!” Ryan blurts as he struggles to put on a shoe. He could see just how ridiculous he looked right now to Jeremy, stumbling down the hallway of his apartment complex with one shoe on, the other refusing to get on his foot. Jeremy has seen him in much worse positions, but that doesn’t mean he wants Jeremy to see this embarrassing moment. “I’m late for my date with Agent Joss, she’s going to be so _pissed.”_

“Oh,” Jeremy says, and Ryan swears he sounds saddened by it. “I mean, she should know you have a reputation for being tardy for things, right? From what I’ve seen of her she seems like a total sweetheart. I don’t she would be too angry with you. Why don’t you just text her?”

It’s not a bad idea. Ryan reaches into his pocket, planning on giving her a call that he’s so stupid and that he’s _on his way fuck I’m so sorry,_ when he realizes that his phone is still in his apartment. “God damn it,” he groans under his breath, stumbling back over to his apartment and yanking the door open. He retrieves his phone from the couch, unlocking it to call her when he notices a missed call and a text.

_Joss: If you didn’t want to go out, you could have said no._

_Joss: See you tomorrow, Haywood._

“Everything okay?” Jeremy asks him, taking in Ryan’s pout. Ryan simply hands his phone over, heading back into his apartment and flinging himself down onto the couch with a loud groan. Jeremy sighs, locking his partner’s phone and tossing it onto the coffee table before following Ryan into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. “Hey, maybe next time, yeah?”

Ryan doesn’t seem to answer, which Jeremy doesn’t really blame him. Instead he settles onto Ryan’s couch, nudging his partner’s legs. “I did come over to ask if you wanted to go out tonight, do something just the two of us. We can just stay here though, if you want some company. Up to you, pal.”

Yeah, missing a date with one of the hottest agents in their agency did suck. Ryan would probably be sore about that for a few weeks. Then again, maybe staying in and playing video games with his battle buddy would be far more fun than sitting in some fancy restaurant all night.

Lifting himself up into a sitting position, Ryan grins at Jeremy and says, “I’d like that.”

*

It’s his own damn birthday party and Ryan is late.

This time it is Jeremy’s fault. Honestly the man had been walking Ryan around Austin all day, taking him to various shops and even buying him lunch. Normally Ryan doesn’t mind spending copious amounts of time with his best friend, being able to do things other than shoot targets and taking down enemies, but now that it’s caused him to be late to some birthday party their friends at the agency were hosting.

“You know how Gavin is about my tardiness,” Ryan says as he tries to explain why being late is so bad. “He already gives me enough crap about it, the last thing I need is Michael egging him on when we get there. If you think Gavin is bad, just wait until you see him around Michael. He’s _worse.”_

Jeremy rolls his eyes, waving a dismissive hand as he starts up his car. “I’m pretty sure Gavin won’t give a shit, okay? He was only a small part of this planning process, and it’s not like he’s your boss. You were hanging out with your battle buddy all day, something he does with Michael all the damn time. Pretty sure they’ve shown up late to parties because of each other before anyway.”

When they finally arrive at the bar Jack booked out for the party, Gavin is standing at the bar with his arms crossed, eyebrow raised and a cheeky grin at his face. “You’re late,” he comments, Jeremy rolling his eyes before taking off towards the bartender to get a drink. “You and Jeremy better have a good excuse as to why you were late for your own damn party?”

“Who cares!” the familiar voice of Michael Jones shouts, wrapping an arm around Gavin’s shoulders and making the boy squawk. “He’s here now, he is the birthday boy, he still gets cake!” He forces Gavin to follow him away from Ryan, ignoring Gavin’s protests, passing Jeremy on the way who laughs at the two of them. He’s holding to cups in his hand, passing one to Ryan with a laugh.

“Diet Coke for you, Rum for me,” he says, taking a drink. “Told you that Gavin wouldn’t be an issue, didn’t I?”

Ryan takes a drink of his Diet Coke, looking around the room at the faces of his friends, co-workers, all of them cheerful and laughing. Ryan wasn’t always the biggest fan of large gatherings to celebrate his birthday, but he rather enjoyed the atmosphere around them in that moment. It was more than he had expected, for sure.

“Happy Birthday Ry,” Jeremy says, reaching up to flick Ryan’s nose, an unusual sign of affection from his partner. “You’re the best partner I could have asked for.”

Ryan looks at him, takes in the glowing smile Jeremy always seems to wear, combined with the twinkle in his dark brown eyes. He couldn’t pick a better partner for himself, either.

*

Pattillo wants to meet with them and Ryan is, of course, late.

It’s Jeremy’s fault this time, it really is. His partner called before Ryan was about to leave citing that he was having car trouble and needed a ride to the agency, not really in the mood to deal with getting an Uber to his apartment. Ryan didn’t necessarily blame him for that, even though Jeremy’s apartment was a bit out of the way for Ryan to begin with.

It makes Ryan realize just how far he’d go for Jeremy. (And how he’s really got to stop denying it)

“I can’t believe it,” Jeremy says as he slides into the passenger seat of Ryan’s car, shaking his head. “I got a text from you saying you were five minutes away, and you were actually _early._ I believe this is the first time I have seen you be on time to something.”

Ryan mocks offense to Jeremy’s words, pulling out of the driveway and heading towards the agency out of town. “I can be on time to things!”

(Ryan loves the sound of Jeremy’s laugh, and he knows then that he’s screwed.)

“I’m pretty sure you are going to be late to your own wedding one day,” Jeremy concludes with a chuckle, leaning back in the passenger seat. “I mean, I would really hope you wouldn’t be, but given your track record I really feel bad for your future partner.”

Ryan dismisses the various daydreams that begin to cloud his thoughts in favor of responding with a middle finger. “Not if they are important enough. I would be on time if it was someone I was willing to spend the rest of my life with. Someone who puts up with me being late for pretty much everything.”

Jeremy nods, a small smile on his face. “Well, I’m sure whomever it is, they are going to be lucky.”

Ryan looks over at Jeremy, and part of him wonders if down the road, that lucky person could be Jeremy.

“I have to find them first, you know,” Ryan points out, stopping at a red light. “Agency doesn’t really give me much time for dating, and you already know how I fucked up with Agent Joss.”

“That was just one person, though,” Jeremy insists, twisting in his seat to really look at Ryan. “You might be surprised to find that the right person for you is closer than you think.” He shivers. “Okay, that sounded really corny, but you know I am right, Haywood.”

Ryan fakes a flinch. “Oh god, calling me by my last name? I thought we were past that, Dooley.”

Jeremy rolls his eyes, though there is a slight bit of blush dusting his cheeks. “Just drive, Haywood.”

(They both end up being late for the meeting, but Ryan doesn’t mind)

*

Once again, Ryan has a date. This time however, he’s right on time.

He knocks on the door with a shaking hand, nerves flowing through him as he tries to elevate his breathing. He feels completely ridiculous being so worked up over a first date, especially when nerves were something he couldn’t afford to have in his profession. He’s trained himself to stay calm and collected, to keep a level head regardless of the pressure of the task.

This wasn’t a bomb detonation though, and it certainly wasn’t taking out a high-profile target. This was far more important than those things, at least in his mind.  

The door clicks, and his heart begins to race.

“You’re early,” Jeremy tells him, opening the door fully to allow Ryan into his apartment. As if Ryan wasn’t already nervous enough, Jeremy has decided to answer the door without a shirt on, only in a pair of nice slacks and bare feet. Still getting ready, of course. “I wasn’t anticipating you for at _least_ another hour.”

Maybe it was because it was a long time coming, him and Jeremy. They had been through quite a lot, having risked each other’s lives for the other countless times on missions to the point where Ryan would, without hesitation, trade his life for his partner’s. It was only a matter of time before things grew intimate, right?

“I guess I decided to start being on time,” Ryan responds, tucking his hands into his front pockets and watching Jeremy head back towards his bedroom to finish getting dressed. “I mean, tardiness is a rather awful habit to stick with, don’t you think?”

“Wouldn’t know,” Jeremy taunts from down the hall. “I actually know how to be on time.”

He comes out a moment later in a rather fitting black button up, the fabric tight around his shoulders and making Ryan’s eyes bulge slightly out of their sockets. He’s seen Jeremy in various outfits before for missions, but this was different. It was for _him._ The only word he’s able to really get out of his mouth is, “Whoa.”

Jeremy blushes, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. “You’ve seen me all done up before, this isn’t something new.”

“Well I’m not exactly allowed to ogle you while on assignment,” Ryan admits, biting on his lower lip at his confession. “At least, I don’t think Pattillo would appreciate it. I doubt I would even hear the end of it.”

“Well,” Jeremy starts, stepping forward and adjusting the collar on Ryan’s shirt. His fingers brush against Ryan’s jaw, making the older man shiver. “Lucky for us, tonight isn’t about an assignment, Pattillo is off doing whatever the fuck he does when he’s not working. It’s just me and you, going out for dinner.” His hands fall flat onto Ryan’s chest, his eyes peering up at Ryan’s face underneath hooded eyes before he clears his throat. “We might want to go before I change my mind and keep you here.”

Ryan raises an eyebrow at that, leaning in a bit closer and whispering, “Would that be so bad?”

He can see the moment Jeremy contemplates his words, struggling with saying ‘fuck it’ but also keeping his composure. He finally settles with, “Yes, because I haven’t properly wooed you yet. At least let me take you to dinner first.” He reaches up, pecking Ryan on the cheek before sliding his hand into Ryan’s open one. “C’mon, we don’t want to be late for our reservation.”

*

Later, as the two are coming off their highs in Jeremy’s bed, Jeremy whispers, “Thanks for not being late.”

Ryan grins, pulling Jeremy into his chest and kissing the top of his head. “I’d never be late for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on tumblr!! I'm at cherryraindrops :)


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